Morphine is one of the most important analgesics worldwide. The majority of the world's morphine supply is derived from poppy plants found in some of the more politically turbulent areas of western Asia. A related compound, galanthamine, has shown efficacy in the treatment of, inter alia, Alzheimer's disease. However, while morphine remains in high demand worldwide, the lack of effective synthetic methods coupled with the aforementioned instability in areas largely responsible for the natural production of morphine illustrates the tenuous state of current means for obtaining the compound. Similarly, overall yields for galanthamine using current synthetic routes remain poor. Thus, there is a need to develop improved methods for synthesizing morphine and related derivatives for use in pharmaceutical compositions and other medical applications.